Thank You Susan Philbrick

To the Editor,
Sue Philbrick has served as a member of the Manchester Planning Board for the past three years. But her term was far from ordinary and her contributions have been significant. I suspect that Sue attended more public meetings during her term than a typical board member would see over ten years.
Almost immediately after being sworn in, Sue was appointed as a Planning Board representative to the MBTA Task Force. That group worked tirelessly to develop a plan to comply with the State mandate while protecting the Town’s character. She chaired the “Communications” subcommittee that spearheaded community forums, material presented on the Town’s website, and meetings with other Boards and civic groups. Her direct and factual approach helped to make the MBTA zoning proposal both understandable and reasonable. She even starred in many of the videos that explained how the proposed zoning would work.
Sue’s skilled approach set a new bar for communications and carried over to other zoning initiatives including the recently adopted downtown zoning districts and senior housing. Her ability to understand and explain the complexities of zoning bylaws and regulations has been an enormous help to the Planning Board.
As Vice Chair, from time-to-time Sue presided over both public meetings and assisted with much of the preparation for regular meetings. Her strong legal experience, gentle but firm hand, and thoughtful analysis will be sorely missed by the entire Board.
Sincerely,
Sarah Hammond Creighton
Planning Board Chair